Apparatus for automatically assorting angle-irons and the like to length



March 29, 1955 J, w, v 2,705,072

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ASSORTING ANGLE-IRONS AND THE LIKE TO LENGTH Filed March 31, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l 15-. 1- 4 f -4 c--gnu huflmnniguwl I INVENTOR. JAMES W CALVIN,

his Afiomey.

March 29, 1955 ALV|N 2,705,072

J. W. C APPARATU S FOR AUTOMATICALLY ASSORTING ANGLE-IRONS AND THE LIKE TO LENGTH Filed March 31. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lA/VE/VTOR. JAMES 14. CAL VIN,

his Arforney.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ASSORTING ANGLE-IRONS AND THE LIKE TO LENGTH James W. Calvin, Antioch, C'alif., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 31, 1954, Serial No. 420,126

2 Claims. (Cl. 209-80) My invention relates to apparatus for automatically assorting angle-irons and the like to length.

Tin plate, black plate and similar sheet-like commodities are commonly shipped in piles secured together with bands, the edges of the pile being protected by sheet metal angles. The protecting angles must be approximately the length of the edge to be protected, thus a variety of lengths must be available. In the interest of economy, the angles are returned to the shipper for reuse. They must, of course, be sorted as to length. This has heretofore been done by hand which is both expensive and laborious.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus which will automatically accomplish this sorting of the angles.

The foregoing and other objects will be apparent from the following specification when read in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus of the present invention in which some of the carrier elements have been omitted for reasons of clarity;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines III-III of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a section taken along lines IV--IV of Figure 3 and showing the details of the stabilizing block carried by the carrier rods.

With particular reference to the drawings, my angle assorting device includes a support frame 2 which can conveniently be constructed of channel side rails 4 and 5, channel legs 6 and transverse spacers 8. A shaft 10 journaled in pillow-blocks 12 is mounted at the left (forward) hand end of this frame and carries a pair of spaced sprockets 14. A similar pair of sprockets 16 is provided at the right (rearward) end of the frame. These are mounted on shaft 18 journaled in bearings 20 in take-up frames 22. The sprockets engage chains 24 which are interconnected by a series of transverse rods 26 spaced at intervals along the chains to form angle-carrier elements. Each of the rods 26 is provided with a stop-collar 28 and a stabilizing-block 30 maintained in place by split-springrings 32. The blocks 30 are substantially square in cros section and are provided with slightly oversize longitudinally extending mounting holes 31 adjacent a corner thereof. Thus the major mass of block 30 is in effect a counterweight which hangs below its support rod at all times and with the downwardly diverging upper surfaces of the block provides a stable seat for an angle during movement of the carrier-chains. A suitable motor and gear reduction unit 34 is connected to the shaft 10 through chains and sprockets 36 and arranged to drive the sprockets 14 in a clockwise direction.

A pair of guide angles 38 carried by angle-posts 40 are disposed to support the chains 24 during their travel toward the right or rearward end of the frame; a similar pair of angles 42 attached to the inner faces of side rails 4 and support the chains during their return to the forward end of the frame.

Spaced along the side rail 5 below the guide angle 42 and adjustably supported in bosses 46 by set screws 43 are a plurality of kick-oft bars 44. The bars 44 are preferably round in section and of an off-set shape whereby they may be rotated in their supports to adjust their clearance of the chain 24. Pins 50 serve to indicate the posi- 2,705,072 Patented Mar. 29, 1955 tion. The bars 44 increase in length in increments toward the forward end of the frame and extend inwardly into the path of travel of angles on the carrier-rods from the side rails most remote from the stop collars carried by the rods so that the longest length of angle is discharged first and the shortest last. Storage bins 52 are provided below each of the bars to receive the sorted angles.

In using my apparatus, an angle is: placed on each of the rods as they reach position A. The angle is placed over the stabilizing block and against the stopcollar. The angles so positioned are carried the full length of the machine on the top level and are kicked off into the appropriate storage bin by the bars 44 as the carrier chains return along the lower level. Discharge is accomplished when a kick-off bar catches the edge of an angle and tilts the angle and. stabilizing block so that the angle slides off into the storage bin below.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. Angle sorting apparatus comprising a support frame having spaced apart longitudinally extending side rails and forward and rearward ends, a pair of spaced apart continuous conveyor chains extending the length of said frame and disposed between said side rails to provide parallelly disposed upper and lower conveyor strands, guide means extending inwardly of the side-rails and disposed to support the lower strands of said conveyor chains during movement thereof, a plurality of carrierbars extending between and secured to said chains at spaced intervals along the length thereof, a stop-collar secured adjacent one end of each of said bars, a counterweighted stabilizing-block pivotally mounted on each of said bars and having upper surfaces diverging downwardly to provide a seat for an angle placed on said bar, means for driving said conveyor chain and carrierbar assembly, said drive means arranged to drive the upper strands of the chains toward the rearward end of the support. and a plurality of adjustably supported kick-off bars disposed below the lower strands of said chains to extend inwardly at spaced intervals from one of the side-rails of said frame into the path of travel of angles carried on said carrier bars, the amount of extension of said kick-off bars into said path of travel increasing toward the forward end of the support frame.

2. Angle sorting apparatus comprising a support frame having spaced apart longitudinally extending side rails and forward and rearward ends, a pair of spaced apart continuous conveyor chains extending the length of said frame and disposed between said side rails to provide parallelly disposed upper and lower conveyor strands, guide means extending inwardly of the side-rails and disposed to support the lower strands of said conveyor chains during movement thereof, a plurality of carrierbars extending between and secured to said chains at spaced intervals along the length thereof, a stop-collar secured adjacent one end of each of said bars, a counterweighted stabilizing-block pivotally mounted on each of said bars and having upper surfaces diverging down wardly to provide a seat for an angle placed on said bar, means for driving said conveyor chain and carrierbar assembly, said drive means arranged to drive the upper strands of the chains toward the rearward end of the support, a plurality of adjustably supported kickoff bars disposed below the lower strands of said chains to extend inwardly at spaced intervals from one of the side-rails of said frame into the path of travel of angles carried on said carrier bars, the amount of extension of said kick-ofi bars into said path of travel increasing toward the forward end of the support frame, and receptacles below each of said kick-off bars to receive angles discharged from the carrier bars by the kick-off bars positioned thereabove.

No references cited. 

